The Free Fighter and the Evil Within
by freaky-hanyou
Summary: By day, Haruka is living a normal life; but by night he becomes The Free Fighter, a powerful guardian capable of using water to defeat his worst enemies. However, when an ancient evil (with a bewitching shade of green eyes) is reawakened and Makoto's life is on the line, will Haru be able to triumph and save his friend from the forces of darkness? MakoHaru AU
1. Prologue

::And now for something completely different::

So hey there; I'm going to write a chapter story again! YAaaay! How did this happen? I got a tumblr. It's a long story, but the long and short of it is this beautiful work! So please enjoy.

Important Blanket Story Disclaimer: Not only do I not own any of the darling Iwatobi boys, I don't even own the idea for this story, which came from an Anon on tumblr. And THEN I don't even own a lot of the details for the story, which were created by the lovely **causeofdeathmakoharufeels** and **going1582**, so lots of not owning by me. Give credit where credit is due people! :D

"talking" _thinking _((mee))

**The Free Fighter and the Evil Within**

"_**Most of us, I suppose, are a little nervous of the sea. No matter what its smiles may be, we doubt its friendship." ~H.M. Tomlinson**_

_Prologue_

Kurakvo hated the water.

He hated its calming depths and its constant presence; he hated the colorful wildlife and the way the sun reflected off of the water.

"Haru!" The dark, shapeless creature closed its metaphorical eyes, letting out a small sigh. Yes, it hated the water…

"Haru!" But if there was one thing it hated more than water, it was _humans._ And being trapped in the water for so long did nothing but force the creature to be in the close proximity of humans. Water-loving humans. Every day. No matter where he turned he was unable to escape it.

Until now.

"_Haru!_"

_Would that brat shut _up _already?_ Kurakvo thought, setting his evil sights on two little boys playing at the waters' edge. The one was quiet; his blue eyes fascinated as he slowly walked further and further into the low waves approaching the shore. The other was standing at the edge, his green eyes reflecting his concern as his friend went farther away.

"Haru! Mom said not to play out that far! Come back!"

"In a minute," the other said, staring intently at the waves. Kurakvo couldn't say why, but he had the strangest feeling that the boy could sense him. However, the notion disappeared almost as soon as he had it as the boy turned away, running through the water back to the shore.

The brunette with the green eyes smiled in relief as the other returned, reaching out to take his hand. "Come on!" he said cheerfully, "Let's build sand castles!" The other nodded, allowing himself to be pulled further up the beach. The green-eyed boy's smile widened, and he laughed gleefully, filling the air with the music of innocent laughter.

Kurakvo shuddered. He _hated_ that laugh. He had to hear it almost every day. These two pure, innocent boys visited the ocean so often, he was surprised they didn't live in it too. Not that he could blame them for not, however. If he had the choice, he wouldn't live in the water either.

_Soon,_ the creature thought, testing its strength once more. Every day the stupid humans damaged the ocean with their pollutants and over-fishing. His jail cell weakened; soon he would be _free._ Free to wreak havoc on the world once more. Free to destroy everyone's happiness. Kurakvo's temper spiked as that melodious, joyful laughter echoed through the water once more.

Yes, he would destroy everyone's happiness. Starting with _that boy's._

_-_((To Be Continued))-

And so it begins! I'm just going to post Chapter One right now, so keep going :D

~freaky-hanyou


	2. Chapter One

So I'm hoping that unlike my usual pattern, this story has shorter chapters but is updated more quickly. ::crosses fingers::

**The Free Fighter and the Evil Within**

_Chapter One_

"Do you really have to go, Haru-chan?" a ten year old Makoto asked his friend worriedly. The two sat far up on the beach, watching storm clouds gather over the turbulent waters.

"Yeah," Haruka replied, his blue eyes fixed on the water, "Dad's being stubborn. Mom thinks we should wait until the storm passes, but Dad thinks we can make it out before it hits."

"But…vacation during a typhoon?" Haruka shrugged, watching as said typhoon crept closer and closer. The two lapsed into silence, and Makoto's frown grew deeper as the sky darkened. It was so dark it looked almost green, actually. The atmosphere was full of foreboding energy, as if the air itself was trying to warn them of what was coming. _I wish Haru wouldn't go,_ Makoto continued to worry, _Going anywhere in this weather can't be a good idea—_

"Makoto," Haruka said, and Makoto turned to see Haruka staring at him, blue eyes meeting his with that blunt honesty he already knew so well. "It's going to be fine."

And just like that, Makoto felt better. Not completely better, but it definitely helped. Makoto smiled, gently bumping his shoulder into Haruka's in response.

"Haru—"

"Haruka! It's time to go; hurry up!" Haruka turned around to see his dad hailing him from several yards away. He stood, brushing the sand off the back of his pants. He looked down at Makoto.

"See you soon," he said with a faint smile before rushing over to meet his parent. Makoto waved goodbye before settling his focus back on the tempestuous water. Now that Haru was gone, the water seemed even more dangerous, more alive, more…evil. He stared and stared, finding himself unable to look away…

Makoto suddenly found himself with the indescribable urge to go in the water. He didn't want to swim or anything, he just felt the inescapable desire to be near it, to touch it and feel its power firsthand. He stood, walking closer to the surging waves, his green eyes fixed on the troubled currents.

_This must be how Haru-chan feels every time he sees water,_ Makoto thought dully, a few feet away from the rough tide. Haruka's deep blue eyes momentarily flashed before him in his mind's eye, and for a moment the desire to enter the dangerous water receded, his common sense taking over once again. However, as soon as he took one step back the feeling returned even stronger than before, and he moved forward, putting one foot solidly into the ocean.

A power that Makoto had never felt before surged through him, and he dropped to his knees in the water, closing his eyes against the spray of the sea. The water swirled around him, seemingly drawing him further into the stormy depths, even though he still felt his knees firmly planted in the wet sand. He felt as if the ocean was tearing at his very being, as if all the good in his life was being destroyed by the currents…he couldn't think, couldn't _breathe_ due to all the power he felt rushing through him—

"_Makoto!_" he suddenly heard, and he felt himself be pulled from the water, held tightly in a warm embrace. He opened his eyes, his mind clearing slightly. His mother held him close, carrying him away from the water. "Makoto, what are you thinking?" she chided, "You know better than to go near the ocean in this weather!"

"Sorry," Makoto mumbled, his mind still feeling slightly cloudy. The overwhelming feeling of despair had lessened, but he couldn't shake the lingering feeling of unease. He huddled closer to his mother as the two headed for home.

-((That Night))-

_Makoto couldn't move. He was completely submerged in water, trapped at the bottom of the ocean. He felt a crushing weight pushing against his chest, robbing him of his ability to breathe. He tried to swim to the surface, but his limbs felt weighted down with lead, deprived of oxygen. He struggled but it was useless, and he let out a choked gasp, his last burst of air leaving him—_

"Makoto?" he heard, and Makoto shot up in bed, drenched in sweat and breathing harshly. After a moment his emerald eyes focused on who had hailed him; surprise blanked his features as he realized it was Haruka standing backlit by the hallway light in his doorway.

"Haru?" he questioned, voice cracking with sleep. "What…what are you doing here?"

Haruka entered the dark room, shutting the door behind him. "Dad was wrong," Haruka explained simply, "Vacation is postponed, but our power is out so your parents invited us over since you have the generator," he supplied in precise detail.

Makoto tried to bring his mind back to the present. "What time is it?"

"Late," Haruka responded dismissively as he stood next to the bed, eyes fixed on Makoto. "Are you okay? You were making noises…"

Makoto winced. "I-I think I had a…nightmare," he said, and Haruka replied by pushing on his shoulder.

"Move over," he said, shedding his cargo shorts as he crawled under the covers next to Makoto. He curled up close to him, and Makoto sighed before laying back down, comforted by his best friend's presence. Haruka didn't say anything or offer any words of comfort; he didn't need to. Makoto could understand everything Haruka wanted to say simply through his body language, through the way he was simply _Haru_.

"I'm glad you're here, Haru-chan," he said drowsily, quickly falling back asleep.

"…Me too," Makoto heard, and he smiled softly as he fell back asleep, no longer plagued by nightmares.

However, every night that Haruka wasn't sleeping beside him, they came back.

-((A Few Weeks Later))-

Haruka sank deeply into the bath, allowing the water to cover him up to his nose. He watched as the soothing liquid gently lapped against the walls of the tub, his toy dolphin bobbing gently. _Perfect._

"Haru, it's time to get out," a voice said from the hallway. Haruka ignored it.

Five minutes later, the voice was back. "Haruka," his mother said, opening the bathroom door, "It's time to get out."

"No," Haruka replied softly, settling himself more firmly in the tub.

Haruka's mother bit back a sigh. Every night it was like this. She approached the tub, reaching for the chain to open the drain. "Haruka—"

"No," Haruka said more insistently, blocking her way to the chain.

Haruka's mother pushed his hand out of the way, reaching again. "Now, Haru—"

"No!" Haruka suddenly yelled in a rare burst of emotion, his blue eyes flashing. At his outcry, the water in the tub swelled before shooting out precisely, soaking his mother from head to toe with a watery jet. She blinked and pushed her soaked hair away from her eyes, focusing on Haru who was still sitting in the tub, pouting. He hadn't moved once.

"Haruka…?" his mother questioned, shock overtaking her features as the reality of what her son just did washed (metaphorically this time) over her.

"…I said no."

-((To Be Continued!))-

Here we go! Please let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

~freaky-hanyou


	3. Chapter Two

Hey there! Here's me making the most of my free time at work this week :D Just…read. ^.^

By the way, I dropped the rating to T because that's all it is at the moment, but if (when?) it changes to M and why I will let you know :D

**The Free Fighter and the Evil Within**

_Chapter Two_

_~Six Years Later~_

Nanase Haruka stood at the edge of the ocean with his eyes closed, the gentle tide washing over his bare feet. It was well after midnight, and everything was quiet; Haruka could hear nothing but the sounds of the water. He preferred it that way…it was the perfect time to practice.

-((Flashback))-

"Haruka…what I'm about to tell you is very important," Haruka's mother started, sitting next to her ten year old on their couch, "Our family has a…special talent that's passed from generation to generation. When Iwatobi is in danger, a member of our family is chosen to protect it. By using the water, that person can defeat the deadliest of enemies. Haruka…that person is you."

Haruka's eyes grew very wide. "I can control the water?" It was too good to be true.

Haruka's mother nodded, reaching for something sitting next to her. "The last guardian was your grandmother; she told me stories about the many enemies she fought and defeated. She shared your undying love for the water, Haru-chan." She held out a slim, nondescript book with a dark blue cover. "She took notes in case the powers would ever manifest again."

Haruka took the book, struggling to take in any other information beyond 'he could _control_ the _water_.' "So this will tell me how to control the water?" he asked, blue eyes glittering with interest.

"It has the basics," his mother replied, "but there's a lot you'll have to figure out for yourself…everyone has their own unique style." Clutching the book in both hands, Haruka nodded before sliding off of the couch. His mother caught him by the shoulder, worry reflected in her eyes.

"Haruka…just because you were chosen to protect everyone from danger, doesn't mean the danger will happen immediately," she tried to explain, wanting her ten year old son to be safe, to understand. "You must be ready…don't lose your love for the water."

Haruka nodded again before running up to his bedroom. That night, he read the little book cover to cover.

-((End Flashback))-

Haruka let out a soft sigh, allowing his thoughts to ebb and flow like the water at his feet. Gradually the water swelled, lifting him from the sand and carrying him into deeper waters. He stood atop the water for a long moment before he opened his eyes, clutching at a chain around his neck. In that moment, a pillar of water burst into the air, completely enveloping Haruka. A white light emanated from within the pillar before the water disappeared, leaving Haruka unharmed in its wake. The water had transformed him into his guardian disguise.

A loose, light blue coat clung to his shoulders and flowed out about his arms like droplets of water; he wore no shirt underneath. His shorts were the pristine white of sea foam, and he wore no shoes. A thin, clear handle was clipped to his shorts, and a simple silver dolphin charm hung on a long chain, glistening on his chest. He tried to keep his outfit simple, but at the same time he didn't want it to be _too_ simple. He could control water with his will, for goodness sakes. A huge, glittery dark blue scarf was wrapped several times around his neck, completely covering the lower half of his face in its many folds. It would also serve the practical purpose of protecting his identity when the time came.

_If the time to fight ever comes,_ Haruka thought dully, unclipping the handle from his belt. Ever since he was ten, several times a week Haruka came out to the ocean to hone his abilities. At first it was easy and exhilarating; he was going to protect Iwatobi from evil with water! But as the years went on without any evil appearing, Haruka's excitement quickly faded into the familiarity of routine. In his hand the clear handle came to life, and multiple tendrils of water poured from it in an endless stream, like the sharp talons of a whip. In the other hand he summoned a small ball of water before shooting it forward at an invisible enemy, following it up with a crack of the whip. He frowned, unimpressed with his abilities.

_This used to be easier,_ he thought, staring at the handle in his hand. A year ago he hadn't needed the thing to use his whip ability, but with every year, Haruka could feel his easy control of the water slipping through his fingers. Now, he _could_ use the whip without the handle, but the simple weight in his hand gave him greater control and focus. He assumed that just before he turned twenty and lost his powers completely, he may have to rely on the piece of plastic entirely.

"Whatever this evil is, it better hurry up and show itself already," Haruka grumbled to himself before starting to practice in earnest. The water rose all around him as he practiced a range of individual attacks, wrapping itself around his arms and the ends of his scarf. He drilled himself with precise discipline, sending jet after jet of water while leaping and dodging through the air, catching himself effortlessly each time.

"Nice moves."

Haruka spun towards the voice, halting his training as he looked towards the shore at a dark figure. The figure waved, beckoning him to come closer. Wary, Haruka slowly approached the shore, sizing up the stranger. He wore a sturdy black leather jacket with white elbows and no shirt underneath it. Black jeans hugged his long legs; a single vibrant green stripe ran down his left pant leg. His eyes were completely masked by shiny black sunglasses, and a cocky smirk graced his lips.

The smirk widened as Haruka approached. "Nice moves," the man repeated, "but I can't say the same for your outfit. What are you wearing?"

"What are_ you_ wearing?" Haruka blurted, immediately put on the defensive by the man's attitude. His comment also stung ever-so-slightly; Haruka had thought a lot about his outfit. "You have elbow pads," he pointed out.

The man raised an eyebrow in a _So?_ gesture, taking a step forward. Warily, Haruka took a step back, moving further out into the water.

"Hey, hey!" the man said, arms up in a gesture of surrender, "I didn't mean to offend you." Haruka didn't reply and simply stared at him; how was that comment in any way not offensive? "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Who are you?" Haruka asked, not placated in the slightest. He had _never_ seen anyone while he was practicing. Ever.

"An interested party," he replied, taking a step towards the water. When Haruka didn't step back, the man's smile returned. For some reason, Haruka found that smile extremely unnerving. "You certainly know your way around the water," the man complimented.

"…Thank you," Haruka replied quietly.

"Do you practice a lot?" Haruka nodded. "All by yourself?" He nodded again.

The man brushed his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "Hmm…that doesn't sound very fun. What's the point of having powers if there's no one to fight against?"

"Wha—" Haruka started, but cut himself off as a wave of something ugly and black and definitely _bad _came flying towards him. He propelled himself out of the way, rolling over the water before turning to face his attacker. Or at least, he thought he was. The man had disappeared.

"Up here."

Haruka looked up, and the man now floated above him on a black cloud of smoke, a black trail of _something_ coiling between his fingertips. "Sorry I'm late," he said with that annoyingly cocky grin, "I've been practicing too."

_It's him,_ Haruka thought as he readied his fighting stance, beyond certain that _this_ was the evil that everyone kept telling him about. "Who are you?" he repeated, and the man didn't reply, instead shooting out a barrage of dark arrows aimed at Haruka's head. Haruka propelled himself backward before surging up, using the water to raise himself to the man's height.

"Not bad," the man praised before making a sound of surprise as a stream of water came flying at him, cracking loudly like a whip next to his ear.

"Who. _Are you,_" Haruka said once more in a quietly threatening voice. He didn't like to be toyed with, and this guy was _really_ starting to piss him off.

The man let out an exaggerated sigh. "Fine," he said, sunglasses glinting as he was on Haruka in a blink, landing a solid kick into his ribs. Haruka recoiled, landing in the water below with a graceless splash. "I am Kurakvo," he said with flare, "Master of _Darkness_."

Haruka righted himself before coming back up to Kurakvo's level. He stared at him hard for a long moment before speaking. "Your name is weird."

Kurakvo bristled, offended. "Shut up! What's _your_ name then?"

"Free Fighter," Haruka said in reply, and Kurakvo burst into laughter.

"Free Fighter?!" Kurakvo said incredulously, overcome with mirth, "Why would you pick a name like _that_?" Kurakvo's laughter was abruptly cut off as Haruka's whip closed around his throat, pulling him headlong through the air until the two were nose-to-nose.

"Because I always fight free," Haruka replied in a deadly tone before shoving Kurakvo away from him. "So you better watch out…Orca Boy."

"_Orca Boy?_" Kurakvo spluttered, indignant. Haruka simply raised an eyebrow, looking at the elbow pads. This only seemed to enrage Kurakvo further. "Why you—"

Kurakvo cut himself off as the sun started to peek over the horizon. "This is just the beginning," he promised before speeding off, fleeing into the disappearing darkness.

-((Later That Morning))-

"Haru-chan."

"Haru-chan!"

Haruka groaned in protest at the sound of his name, clinging to the last vestiges of sleep.

"Haru-chan, wake up! You've overslept; it's almost time for school." At this, Haruka's blue eyes snapped open, focusing on Makoto hovering over him. He let out a slight groan, sitting up.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asked, immediately concerned, "Do you feel sick?" He felt Haruka's forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever…"

"I'm fine," Haruka reassured, dragging himself out of bed, "I just…had trouble getting to sleep last night," he said, a pang of guilt assailing him as he lied to his best friend.

"If you're sure…" Makoto said, staring at him for a long moment before smiling and heading for the door. "I'm sorry you don't have time to take a bath, but if I hurry while you dress I should have enough time to make you some mackerel for breakfast—"

"Makoto," Haruka said, and Makoto paused at the door as he registered the hint of alarm in Haruka's voice. He made a noise of surprise as he felt Haruka's fingers brush lightly over the back of his neck. "What happened?"

"Hm?" Makoto said, distracted by Haruka's delicate fingers.

"To your neck; what happened?"

"My neck?" Confused, Makoto reached behind him but didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. He turned to look in Haruka's mirror, gasping in surprise as his eyes alighted on a thin, bright red mark that spanned the back of his neck. "I…have no idea," he admitted, staring at the mark, "but it doesn't hurt, I swear. I probably just slept weirdly; it'll go away," he decided, heading out the door. "Now hurry up and get dressed, sleepyhead!" he said with a teasing smile before stepping out.

Haruka was too tired to think about the mark, so he decided it was best to take Makoto's word for it and just be grateful for his kindness. He reached for his uniform. _It's a good thing Makoto's here for me,_ he thought as he buttoned his shirt, _that bastard Kurakvo's already costed me my bath…_

_I'll get him for sure._

-((To Be Continued!))-

So Evil!Makoto is…interesting. I think it's fun. Let me know if you do too!

Thanks for reading!

~freaky-hanyou


	4. Chapter Three

Hey guys! I'll be short; THANK YOU for your support and love of the story! I really appreciate it and enjoy your reviews 3 :D

On with the show!

**The Free Fighter and the Evil Within**

_Chapter Three_

Haruka awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of a scream and a loud crash from not too far away. He glanced at his clock. It was well after midnight. Haruka sighed. _Maybe it's nothing…accidents happen, after all. _However, before Haruka could decide whether or not he should ignore the noise there were more crashes, compelling Haruka to get out of bed.

_Then again, it could be _him, he thought, shaking off the last vestiges of precious sleep as he reached for his necklace, squeezing the little dolphin in the palm of his hand. Haruka felt himself enveloped in an all-too-familiar rush of water, and in a few moments he had transformed into the Free Fighter. He went to his window and unflinchingly leapt out; from nowhere a burst of water shot continuously upwards, gathering at his feet and stopping his downward fall. Haruka turned, propelling himself towards the sound of the commotion.

It wasn't hard to find: several parked cards had been turned on their sides in the middle of the road, their alarms screaming in protest. A traffic light had also been bent impossibly upwards. At the center of it all was Kurakvo, hovering on his dark cloud. A young woman had collapsed below him; she was clearly too terrified to move.

Kurakvo flashed him a triumphant smile as he espied his approach. "I figured you'd come out to play if I made enough noise."

"What are you doing?" Haruka asked, gaze focusing on the woman.

Kurakvo's smile turned sinister. "I'm the Master of Darkness; evil and destruction are principal parts of my job description." He looked from Haruka to the woman and back again. "Let me give you an example." Haruka's eyes widened as a ball of darkness gathered in his hand. He raised it high before hurling it downwards at the woman below him. Haruka wasn't close enough to reach her; he had to act quickly. With his left hand he sent a flat stream of water towards her as he unclipped his whip with his right. Gripping it firmly, he sent the tails hurtling in her direction. They wrapped firmly around her waist, and Haruka pulled, using the water as a slide to speed the process. She reached a safe distance, but just barely: the darkness exploded on the pavement, shooting in all directions and causing even more destruction.

"Oops!" Kurakvo called sarcastically as a telephone pole tilted dangerously, sending a shower of sparks to the ground.

Haruka ignored him for a moment, focusing on the shell-shocked woman. He landed next to her, releasing her from his watery hold. He helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?" he asked; she nodded tentatively. "Good," he said, turning away from her to face Kurakvo, "Now get out of here."

"Umm…" he heard, and Haruka looked back at her over his shoulder. "Who are you?" she asked.

"The Free Fighter," Haruka replied, turning away once again. He looked back when he felt a small tug on one long end of his scarf.

"Thank you, Free Fighter," she said with a small blush, unable to meet his piercing blue eyes directly. Haruka nodded, feeling a small surge of pride before he freed his scarf, urging her away again as he turned to Kurakvo.

Even though he was wearing sunglasses, Haruka could easily read his caustic expression. "Are you done, SuperScarf?" he drawled, lazily spinning darkness between his fingertips, "This time I was nice, but next time don't count on me to wait patiently."

Haruka calmly raised himself to Kurakvo's level, approaching him slowly. "That was a weak insult, Orca Boy. Can't you do any better?"

Kurakvo twitched. "That again, huh? You better watch your mouth, brat. I'll make you _regret it!_" Twin columns of a dark substance shot out of Kurakvo's hands, aiming for Haruka; Haruka dove off of his watery platform towards the cement, whip lashing out to curl around a high tree branch, slowing his fall.

"Too easy," Kurakvo said, and with a snap of his fingers and a sickening crack the tree split in half, throwing off Haruka's balance and sending him careening towards cement. He was too close to the ground to react; he fell hard, bare legs scraping along pavement. Before he could clear his senses, a black tar-like substance came around his neck, lifting him up and carrying him to Kurakvo, who was now standing on the ground. Haruka's hands went to his neck, struggling against the stranglehold.

"Don't take it personally," Kurakvo said with a sickening smile once Haruka and he were nose-to-nose, "I've got over 500 years more experience than you; this ending was inevitable. Although," he paused in his tormenting, staring into Haruka's icy blue eyes, "you _are_ quite attractive…" Haruka felt rather than saw Kurakvo's eyes upon him, giving him a slow once-over before sunglasses met his eyes once again. "Perhaps you and I could come to some sort of…agreement?"

Haruka stopped struggling for a moment. "…What do you mean?"

"An _agreement,_" Kurakvo emphasized, "A sort of 'you do something for me and I do something for you' type deal. I'll let you live, and you can do some…_things_ for me." Haruka felt those eyes rake over him again and shuddered. Whatever the monster was hinting at was making him uncomfortable, and it was past time for this to stop.

"I'm not going to do anything for _you,_ weirdo," he said, resuming his struggles, "I will protect this city from your evil."

"Really?" the creature taunted, tightening his grip. Haruka coughed, struggling further as Kurakvo moved even closer, whispering in his ear, "How will you do that when you can't even protect yourself?"

In response, Haruka kicked out, his foot solidly colliding with Kurakvo's kneecap. His grip loosened at the sudden bolt of pain, and Haruka took his chance, enveloping himself in a wave of water and successfully moving a safe distance from Kurakvo.

"Too bad you don't wear kneepads," Haruka pointed out.

Kurakvo let out a cry of outrage. "You continue to mock me? Brat, you'll—" he cut himself off as the sun started to make its way over the horizon.

"Time to leave already?" Haruka asked as Kurakvo summoned a cloud beneath him.

"It's not like I'll melt in the sun or anything," Kurakvo spat in reply, "I'd just like to crush you with my full strength…it's more fun that way." _And besides, I can't risk the boy waking up,_ Kurakvo added mentally to himself.

"Same time tomorrow then?" Haruka said with a yawn. "Or how about the day after; I'd like to get some sleep. And next time, just tell me where to meet you so you don't have to make such a mess."

Kurakvo glared at him, unable to tell if the Free Fighter was being serious or not. "We will meet anytime, anywhere," he said, and his usual teasing demeanor was gone, replaced with a dangerously quiet ferocity. "And I will destroy _everyone_ and _everything._" Haruka blinked, and in the next instant Kurakvo was gone, leaving him alone amongst the destruction. He sighed, wearily heading for home.

-((At Home))-

Back in his pajamas, Haruka crawled into bed, determined to sleep for a few more hours. _That did not go well,_ Haruka reflected as his hands went to his neck, grateful that it appeared to be unharmed. He would've had a difficult time explaining _those_ bruises away. He sighed, rolling onto his stomach. _Kurakvo…it looks like defeating him will be harder than I thought…Grandmother did it though…I wonder how…_ Haruka shot up in bed as a sudden realization struck him. Maybe he didn't _have_ to wonder; it'd been years since he'd read his grandmother's book, and the name 'Kurakvo' _did_ sound familiar…

He reached into his nightstand for the slim volume, skimming the pages for information about the Master of Darkness. Finding the correct page, Haruka's eyes shone with excitement before quickly morphing to disappointment as he read:

_The worst enemy I ever faced was Kurakvo. A powerful Master of Darkness, his sneaky tricks combined with his fierce command of his art left me unable to destroy him. The best I could do was seal him away in the depths of the ocean. Should he ever break free of the water, the same spell I used will probably be too weak to work a second time. If he's even stronger…I fear the havoc he will inflict upon Iwatobi. _

That was it. There were no details about his attacks, about any successful counter-attacks, nothing. Haruka let out a long sigh, putting the book away.

_It was a long shot anyway,_ he thought, settling back under the covers, _I'll just have to end him myself._ He rolled away from the sun peeking in through the edges of his curtains, smothering a tiny yawn. _Quickly._

-((Several Months Later))-

There was only so long one could fight nearly nightly, town-destroying battles with a self-proclaimed Master of Darkness before people started to notice. Within a month, everyone in Iwatobi knew not only of the dangerous super villain terrorizing their town, but also of the mysterious Free Fighter who fought for their safety, putting his own life on the line to protect theirs. Needless to say, the town was more than a little enamored with the Free Fighter.

"Let's play; let's play!" Ran squealed as she ran about her and Ren's room before stopping in front of a cross-legged Makoto, tugging at his sleeve, "Let's _play!_"

"Alright, alright!" he said with a gentle smile before glancing quickly over at Haruka next to him, worried that he might be bothered by the fact that they were spending their sleepover playing with the twins. He didn't seem to mind, however; on the contrary, his blue eyes were fixed on the window, watching the clouds gather outside in the growing darkness.

"Haru-chan?" Makoto asked, nudging Haruka's shoulder lightly with his own, "Do you want to play?"

Haruka blinked before turning to focus his gaze on Makoto's hopeful green eyes. "Sure," he agreed, resisting the urge to look back at the window. It was already dark outside, and Kurakvo could appear at any time; he had to be sure he didn't miss the all-too-familiar sounds of devastation and screaming…

Makoto's caring smile relieved him temporarily of his worries. He felt his heart warm as his thoughts of Kurakvo diminished. If there was a problem, he'd hear it: end of story. He decided to give his full attention to Makoto. "What are we playing?"

"Free Fighter!" the twins yelled in unison, diving into their toy chest and pulling out a huge, shimmering blue scarf.

"I'll be the Free Fighter!" Ren volunteered, already wrapping the too-big play scarf around him.

"No fair," Ran protested as she grabbed the other end of the scarf, "_I_ want to be the Free Fighter!"

"Hold on," Makoto said as he stood, cutting of the twins before their argument could escalate further. "Why don't you let Nii-chan be the Free Fighter?"

Both twins simply stared at him, the same '_yeah-right_' expression written on their faces. Makoto sighed before trying another tactic. "I know how to fix this," he said in his big brother voice, kneeling next to Ren as he arranged the blue scarf so that each of them had a part of it, "We'll _all_ be the Free Fighter!"

"But Nii-chan," Ran pointed out, "Someone's got to be the Master of Darkness!"

Makoto reached behind him into the toy chest, pulling out a pair of shiny sunglasses. He held them out to Haruka. "Haru, would you play the Master of Darkness?" he asked.

Haruka blinked, staring at the sunglasses in surprise. This was too much; he couldn't handle the sheer irony. He nodded anyway, taking the sunglasses and quickly looking away so Makoto wouldn't catch the small smile playing at the edge of his lips. He regained his composure before putting on the sunglasses, turning to face the three. "Ready?" he asked. They nodded.

Haruka gave them his cockiest, most arrogant smirk, posturing in front of them confidently. He made sure his sunglasses caught the gleam from the light, giving them a devilish sheen as he said arrogantly, "I am Kurakvo, Master of _Darkness._" _Perfect,_ Haruka thought, congratulating himself for his spot-on acting skills.

The three Free Fighters collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed with fits of giggles and laughter.

The smile fell from Haruka's face. "What?" he complained.

"Haru-chan," Makoto explained with a laugh, sitting up. "That sounded nothing like him!"

Haruka frowned, offended. "Yes it did."

"No, no," Makoto said good-naturedly, taking the sunglasses from Haruka and putting them on. "Like this." Makoto cleared his throat before letting out a loud, overly evil-sounding laugh. "Behold!" he cried in an exultant voice, "I am _Kurakvo,_ the _Master_ of _Darkness!_" The twins burst into applause; Haruka just stared at him incredulously.

"That doesn't sound like him," Haruka stated factually.

"But no one _really_ knows what he sounds like, right?" Makoto pointed out, "Except the real Free Fighter of course; who else would stick around long enough to find out? So he's got to sound _evil,_" he explained, letting out another evil laugh as he moved to tickle Ran, who squealed in surprise.

"You can just be normal, Haru-nii-chan," Ren suggested instead, "and we'll come save you from the Master of Darkness!"

Haruka nodded, content to let the familiar scene play out without his involvement for once. Well…it was as familiar as it _could_ be with Makoto's constantly overly-evil laughter permeating the room. _Makoto's a terrible Kurakvo,_ Haruka mused, trying not to smile as he allowed himself to be kidnapped by him. _I wish the real one was like this; my job would be so much easier…_ Haruka stole a glance out the window again. _Nothing yet. Maybe I'll get a day off…_

And when Haruka woke up the next morning on the spare futon in Makoto's room, he realized with a start that he had gotten his wish: there had been no attacks that night.

-((A Few Days Later))-

_Here we go again,_ Haruka thought as he walked beside Makoto, heading home from school. A group of students had started talking about the Free Fighter's latest adventure after homeroom, and Haruka had had to pull Makoto away so they could leave. However, successfully pulling him away didn't mean that Makoto, the Free Fighter's self-proclaimed #1 fan, would easily drop the subject.

"Isn't the Free Fighter _awesome?_" Makoto gushed as they walked down the street, "Yesterday night, I heard that he stopped Kurakvo from destroying half the ships in the harbor with a bucket of water and his own body alone!"

Haruka tried not to wince as he overstretched on a step. _I assure you it was more body than water yesterday,_ he replied mentally, but he actually said nothing, allowing Makoto to keep talking.

"It's so cool how he manipulates the water so easily," Makoto said, his green eyes shining with admiration, "I would love to see how he does it up close…"

"Makoto—" Haruka started, but Makoto had stopped listening.

"I'd really like to meet him, just once, even if it's just for a second. I mean, Ran keeps _insisting_ that he's handsome under that huge scarf, and call me crazy, but I think she's right; I really want to meet him, just to see," he admitted, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

Haruka stopped walking, overwhelmed by a flurry of conflicting emotions assailing him at once. He first felt a pang of jealously for the Free Fighter, who could make Makoto blush in such a cute way. But wait, _he_ was the Free Fighter…so that meant that—

After a moment, Makoto noticed that Haruka was no longer walking beside him. "Haru?" he questioned, turning to see Haruka standing in place on the path, face tipped downwards to hide his expression. _Is he…_blushing? Makoto wondered in amazement, walking closer to get a better look. "Haru? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Haruka said, dodging Makoto's searching green eyes by turning away as he started to walk again, feigning interest in the advertisements for the local movie theater alongside the path.

"A-Alright," Makoto said, slightly confused as he fell into step beside him. He decided it was probably better not to question it. "But as I was saying, the Free Fighter—"

"Makoto, isn't this movie the one you mentioned a few days ago?" Haruka asked as he stopped in front of a poster, cutting Makoto off with a swift subject change.

"Hm? Yeah," Makoto replied as he regarded the poster.

"It looks interesting," Haruka commented before starting to walk again, hoping that now maybe Makoto would talk about the movie instead of the Free Fighter and his alleged handsomeness.

"Haru, actually…" Makoto started, and Haruka was surprised to note that Makoto had stopped walking this time, his eyes locked on the poster. "Do you want to go see this with me?"

"Sure," Haruka replied easily, idly wondering why Makoto was blushing again. _Uh-oh, that movie isn't about the Free Fighter or something, is it? _Haruka thought, panicking slightly, _It can't be—_

"No; I mean," Makoto said, turning to face Haruka as his blush deepened, "Do you want to go see this together?"

Haruka's brows furrowed. "How else would we see it, Makoto?"

"Haruka, _no,_" Makoto said, slightly exasperated as his face turned completely red, "I mean _together_ together! Do you want to go see this…_together,_" he faltered, forcing himself to hold Haruka's gaze.

Haruka suddenly caught his meaning, his blue eyes widening in surprise. "Oh," he said quietly. He didn't say anything more for a moment, and Makoto was just about to take it all back in embarrassment when he said, "Yeah…I'd like that." He gave Makoto a small, secret smile. Makoto just stood there for a moment before he smiled a bright, happy smile; the warmth from it made Haruka tingle from head to toe. He caught up to Haruka as the two started to walk again, gleefully explaining the details of the movie as they headed home.

-((Meanwhile))-

_Aw, how cute; he finally asked him out,_ Kurakvo thought as he observed his host _finally_ asking out the boy he'd been in love with since Kurakvo had entered his body. Probably longer than that, even. _How nauseating,_ he mused, mentally rolling his eyes as he tuned out the rest of the kid's happy, bubbly life as usual. He had more important things to plan, after all…

-((To Be Continued!))-

Yay fluff! And silliness! Needed some of that, I think. Please let me know what you thought!

Thanks for reading!

~freaky-hanyou


	5. Chapter Four

Hi. I appreciate you reading; hope you're enjoying. I love reviews. :D

So I'll just get on with it then.

**The Free Fighter and the Evil Within**

_Chapter Four_

Makoto couldn't remember anything about the movie that he and Haruka had just seen. He'd been waiting to see it for weeks, but now he couldn't remember even the slightest detail. However, he _did_ remember the exact number of times his hand had brushed Haruka's, the number of times Haruka had shifted in his seat, the number of times they had reached for popcorn at the same time—

Makoto gave himself a mental shake, willing his butterflies to go away as he and Haruka walked home in silence from their first date. The silence was only making it worse, though. There was nothing unusual about this particular silence; he and Haruka had walked home together from countless places countless times in this exact same silence. Haruka wasn't one for useless small talk, and Makoto usually liked it that way as well. On this particular walk, however, Makoto felt that the silence was slowly driving him crazy. _What is Haru thinking?_ he thought. He had to know. Makoto's thoughts ran a mile a minute as they neared his house, reaching for something to say that wouldn't sound awkward or forced. He couldn't think of anything. _This was a horrible idea,_ Makoto berated himself, becoming lost in his anxious thoughts, _Why did I ask him out? I shouldn't have said anything; Haru must think I'm an idiot now. A stupid, awkward idiot who can't—_

"Makoto." Makoto's attention refocused on Haruka; he hadn't even realized that they had already stopped walking, arriving at the front door of his home. Just as he turned to reply, Haruka leaned upwards, closing his lips gently over Makoto's. Makoto's eyes widened and he froze in place, unable to do anything but focus on the extraordinary sensation of Haruka's lips covering his. They were incredibly…soft. Before he could react Haruka pulled away, electric blue eyes locking with his.

"You worry too much," Haruka said softly, the lightest of blushes dusting his cheeks. Makoto stared at him for another moment before his brain restarted, face exploding with color.

"H-Haru, I…" he sputtered, struggling to find the correct words to accurately express how he was feeling. How lucky he felt to have Haruka beside him; how his kiss made him tingle all over; how grateful he was that Haruka always knew _exactly _the right thing to say…

He wanted to hold him and never let go. "Can we…do that again?"

The corner of Haruka's lip turned upwards into a shadow of a smile. "Yeah," he murmured in agreement, bringing his lips to Makoto's once again. Makoto was ready this time, and he gently pressed back against Haruka's lips, his arms tentatively wrapping around his waist. He held Haruka close, matching Haruka step for step as his kiss increased in intensity. Haruka gently brushed Makoto's bottom lip with his tongue before pulling away, breathless.

Makoto felt like his blush had only gotten worse, but to his pleasant surprise and relief Haruka's cheeks had also darkened, his gaze fixed on Makoto. Makoto smiled, his hand sliding up Haruka's waist to tenderly stroke his cheek with his thumb.

"Haru…" Makoto whispered, staring deeply into his ocean eyes. "Be my boyfriend?" Haruka nodded slowly, and a wave of happiness overwhelmed Makoto as he realized that this was only the beginning. "C-Can I-?"

"Makoto," Haruka said, cutting him off, "Stop asking."

Makoto let out a happy laugh before stepping forward, capturing Haruka's lips in another kiss.

-((Several Months Later))-

"Put him down."

Kurakvo's grin widened as he stared down at the grounded Free Fighter from his cloud, hefting the small boy in his grasp even higher into the air using his powers of darkness. "Care to rephrase that?"

Haruka's hand hovered over his whip as his entire body tensed, ready to spring at any moment. He was unable to get any closer to Kurakvo; if Haruka tried to take to the air he'd drop the boy, and Haruka wasn't close enough to reach him before he hit the pavement. "You know what I mean."

Kurakvo chuckled darkly, lifting the child even further away from him. "I can't believe I haven't tried this before," he commented, and the little boy let out a small cry as the ground moved farther and farther away. "Why would I put him down nicely? He's a citizen of this town, someone you're sworn to protect." Haruka's gaze grew desperate as all the levity dropped from Kurakvo's voice. "Don't think I'm above exploiting your weaknesses."

"_No!_" Haruka cried out as Kurakvo let go, and the child screamed as he plummeted towards the ground. Haruka's mind whirled, thinking quickly; he wrapped his whip around a telephone pole and pulled hard as he jettisoned his feet forward with a burst of water. Using the combined acceleration he was able to reach the boy a hundred feet from the ground, but they were falling too fast—

"Like I said, having something to protect is a _weakness!_" Haruka looked towards Kurakvo's voice and saw a wall of darkness barreling towards them. On reflex, he pushed the child away with a burst of water and twisted, his leg taking the brunt of the attack. Haruka cried out in pain but forced himself to focus. _Where—?_ He looked for the boy who was still falling fast and reached out with his whip, bringing the boy protectively to his chest as the two fell hard. Haruka landed on his back, shielding him as best he could while they skid, the unforgiving pavement exacerbating his injuries even more. He sat up before the pain could fully set in, checking the child for any lasting damage. He only had a few bumps and scratches. The little boy looked at him through teary eyes. Haruka loosened his scarf, giving the boy an encouraging smile. "You'll be alright," he said, settling the boy onto his feet, "Now hurry home." The boy gave him a watery smile before taking off at a run, away from the danger. Haruka fixed his scarf and forced himself to his feet, turning to face Kurakvo who still floated above him.

"See?" Kurakvo pointed out as the Free Fighter slowly came up to his level, "That was almost _too_ easy; do you want to be killed in such a boring way? Look at you!" Haruka simply glared at him with eyes like blue steel. Kurakvo let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair. "All this for a stupid boy…imagine if it was someone you actually cared about…" Haruka could practically see the light bulb form over Kurakvo's head as he thought about it. "Now there's an idea," he teased, "If I kill _your_ loved ones, this fight would become _infinitely_ more interesting!"

Haruka knew it was an empty threat; it had to be. Kurakvo had never given any inclination that he knew his true identity, and if he did, it's not like he was the type of person to keep that information secret. He would've attacked him, immediately. Probably even in broad daylight.

Even knowing all of that, Haruka couldn't help the overwhelming fear that washed over him at the thought of Kurakvo attacking those most important to him. His parents. Ren. Ran. _Makoto._

_He won't hurt him,_ Haruka thought, clenching his fists as the fear gave way to a fierce, protective rage. _I won't let him._

Kurakvo raised a curious eyebrow as he watched Haruka react to his threat. He saw a blue fire of determination reflected in his eyes that he had never seen before, so Kurakvo put his hands up in mock surrender. "Calm down, Water Boy. I was only teasing…for the moment. Now that I've seen how upset this makes you, killing you right now wouldn't be any fun at all—!" He turned to go.

"_Kurakvo!_" Haruka yelled after him.

"What; do you really want to die so quickly? I—" Kurakvo turned back around just in time to see a flood of water overwhelm him, sending him hurtling from his cloud and crashing to the ground. He clutched at his side in pain before regaining his wits, turning back to Haruka.

Haruka hovered above him, eyes glowing with anger and resolve. "I'll never let you get to them," he said in an aggressive, threatening tone. Noting that the sun was lightening the far horizon, Haruka decided that it was safe enough for him to leave first for once. So without another word, he disappeared into the growing light. He flew all the way to his bedroom window using the strength of his anger, but once he sat on his bed the adrenaline left him, leaving him with nothing but pain. He looked down at his leg: twisted, bleeding, and burning with road rash. He shifted his shoulders and winced slightly; he could only assume his back looked much the same.

_Great._

-((A Few Hours Later))-

"Haru-chan; are you awake? It's time to—_Haru?!_" Makoto opened the door to Haruka's bedroom, shocked by the sight that greeted him. A shirtless Haruka sat up in bed, his leg carefully bandaged and definitely sprained. He was reaching behind him, trying to clean some serious road rash that covered his back.

"What _happened?_" he exclaimed, immediately coming to Haruka's side and taking the peroxide from him so he could help take care of his back.

Haruka turned away so his back faced Makoto. "I…fell off my bicycle when I went for an early morning ride," he said, ignoring his conscience as he lied to his caring, concerned boyfriend.

"All this from a bike? Did you fall off a cliff too?" Makoto said, and he was only half teasing. "Jeez, Haru…" Makoto looked him up and down, ascertaining the full extent of his injuries. "This is…" he trailed off, at a loss for words. An inexplicable surge of guilt suddenly assuaged Makoto, and he had to stifle an urge to apologize. _He fell off his bike! Why do I feel so…guilty about it?_ He shook off the feeling, but his touch grew more tender as he cleaned Haruka's back.

"It's fine," Haruka said, looking at Makoto over his shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

Makoto's brow furrowed as he reached for the bandages. "Don't worry about it? Haru, look at you! You're—ah," he cut himself off with a slight wince as his hand went reflexively to his side; he'd extended himself too far trying to get the bandages.

"Makoto, what—?" Haruka turned around and abruptly lifted Makoto's shirt to see what the problem was; his eyes widened as he came upon a huge black and purple bruise covering up most of his left side. "Makoto," he breathed, staring at the bruise, "Where'd you get that?"

Makoto let out a nervous laugh before pulling his shirt back down, focusing on tending to Haruka's back. "I don't know really," he explained, fingers working methodically, "I sleepwalk sometimes, and I must be a very clumsy sleepwalker because I wake up with all sorts of bruises." He smiled good-naturedly, giving Haruka's now-bandaged back a soft pat. "Nothing to be concerned about."

_Sleepwalking?_ Haruka thought as he turned to face Makoto. He supposed that could be true, but all he could hear was Kurakvo's threat playing over and over in his mind. "Thanks," he murmured, and Makoto leaned closer, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome. I'm glad it wasn't worse," he said before standing up. He held out his hand for Haruka.

Haruka let Makoto help him up, but all he could see was Makoto's bruise. In that moment, he made his decision. "Makoto," he started, watching as Makoto bent own to get him a school shirt from the bottom drawer of his dresser, "Maybe you'd stop sleepwalking if you spent the night with me instead of…alone," he offered quietly.

Makoto's head snapped up, a startled blush covering his cheeks. Sure, he'd spent countless nights over Haruka's house, but not in the way that he was suggesting. Not since they'd started dating. "H-Haru! I don't, I mean, I-I wouldn't want my sleepwalking to disturb you…"

"I wouldn't mind," Haruka replied immediately. He'd initially suggested the idea to protect Makoto (just in case), but the more he thought about the idea of waking up next to Makoto every morning… "I think it would be nice," he admitted with a slight blush. "_Really_ nice."

Makoto stood, handing him his shirt. "O-okay then," he agreed, his green eyes sparkling with happiness. "I'd love to. Now we better hurry, or we're going to be really late!" Haruka smiled softly to himself as he let Makoto fuss over him, helping him get ready for school.

-((To Be Continued))-

Yay! Adventures. Please let me know what you think! I _love_ reviews!

Thanks for reading!

~freaky-hanyou


	6. Chapter Five

Hey there everyone! Thank you thank you _thank you_ for your reviews! I want to answer a question though. It was asked of me how Makoto got possessed, and I am slightly concerned because I thought I answered that question already and I just want to get the point across. Something sinister happens in the first chapter..;) Please let me know if it still doesn't make sense!

On with the show!

**The Free Fighter and the Evil Within**

_Chapter Five_

-((That Day After School))-

"Hey Haru, did you hear what the Free Fighter did last night?" Makoto asked excitedly from his place next to Haruka on a bench in the park (because of Haruka's leg, walking home was slow progress, so the two had decided to take a break). Haruka looked at Makoto out of the corner of his eye. _Yep; he's on that site again,_ Haruka mused, watching as Makoto read the new details on the Free Fighter from a fanblog on his phone. "Apparently Kurakvo tried to use a little boy to get an advantage over the Free Fighter, but the Free Fighter managed to fight him back _and_ rescue the boy and—you know all of this already don't you?" Makoto said abruptly, ending his tirade as he registered Haruka's complete lack of surprise. At Haruka's nod, Makoto let out a groan. "Man, why do you always find out first?" he complained lightly, "It's not nice to keep such important secrets from your boyfriend," he added with a playful wink.

Haruka did his best to ignore the guilt that assailed him from that throwaway comment._ If only you knew, Makoto,_ he thought with a small tinge of regret. "It's nothing really," Haruka demurred instead in reply, absently peering over at Makoto's phone, "I just scan the fansites like you do."

"But you're so _good_ at it," Makoto complimented, closing the browser on his phone with a press of a button, "I wish I could—"

"Hold on a second," Haruka said, sitting up a little straighter as a gleam of ocean blue from Makoto's phone background caught his eye. He snatched the phone out of Makoto's hand, ignoring his protests as he stared at the background in disbelief. "Is your wallpaper…the _Free Fighter?_"

"Haru, give it back!" Makoto protested with a blush, reaching for his phone. Haruka held him off, staring at the fanart that adorned his boyfriend's phone background. It wasn't a superbly accurate fanart because no one truly knew the Free Fighter, but the blue eyes, white shorts, and shimmering blue scarf left no doubt as to who the image was trying to depict. Makoto finally gave up his retrieval attempts, his ears burning with embarrassment as Haruka quietly stared at his phone. "Yes, it's the Free Fighter," he admitted in defeat, staring down at the ground, "It's the best depiction of him I could find." He looked over at Haruka to find him staring, his expression unreadable. "I know what you're thinking," Makoto said miserably as he tried to explain, "It's really childish and dumb and it's not even him but I can't _help_ it Haru!" Haruka's eyes widened at the fierce emotion he could hear in Makoto's voice. "I don't know why, but I just feel…drawn to him. I can't explain it, but I really admire him and if I can't meet him I just…want to know more about him."

Haruka didn't say anything for a moment; he simply looked from the phone to Makoto and back again. "…I understand," he finally said, and Makoto smiled widely in relief.

"Oh good; Haru—"

"You like him more than me."

"_What?_" Makoto exclaimed in disbelief, voice raised in surprise, "Haru—"

"You like him more than me," Haruka repeated, a faint hint of hurt evident in his voice. Haruka really wasn't sure how he wanted to deal with this. On the one hand, he _was_ the Free Fighter, so he felt embarrassed and flustered by Makoto's attentions. But this wasn't anything new; Makoto had been praising his exploits for almost a year. By now, Haruka could even listen to Makoto's endless streams of compliments without blushing like an idiot. But Makoto didn't _know_ that Haruka was the Free Fighter, and he had him as his _phone background._ This made Haruka feel like Makoto was stepping it up a bit, that he might be interested in the Free Fighter for…other reasons. Thinking of that possibility made Haruka uncomfortable, so he couldn't help but feel more than a little…jealous.

"I do not!" Makoto protested emphatically, "I only want to cheer him on, nothing else."

"But you said you felt _drawn_ to him—"

"Not like _that;_ Haru listen—"

"What if you met him and he was everything you hoped for and more; then you wouldn't need me around to—"

"Haruka!" Makoto exclaimed, stopping Haruka's train of thought with a finger pressed to his lips. "Calm down. Listen to me; this is very important." Haruka stared into Makoto's emerald eyes, shocked by his outburst. Said eyes shimmered with pure conviction as Makoto started to speak. "There will _never_ be a time that I don't need you. Ever. It's true that I admire the Free Fighter, and I would really like to meet him and know more about him. But even if I did Haru, even if he was the epitome of perfection or whatever, it wouldn't matter because the person I care about most and always want by my side is _you,_" he finished, his finger dropping from Haruka's lips as he gave him a warm, sunny smile. "No superhero could ever compare to you."

Haruka's eyes widened at Makoto's confession, flushing from embarrassment and pleasure. "Makoto…"

"Come here Haru-chan," Makoto said tenderly as he pulled Haruka closer, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "I have all I need right here."

Haruka couldn't take anymore, so he pulled back just enough to press his lips to Makoto's. Makoto smiled against his lips, his eyes drifting closed as he held Haruka tighter, holding on as if Haruka would suddenly disappear should he let go. Haruka pulled back, a soft smile etched on his face.

"No one even comes close to my Makoto," Haruka said with blunt sincerity, and Makoto blushed deeply as Haruka kissed him again, his kiss more forceful and possessive than the previous one. Makoto groaned, losing himself to the magic spell Haruka spun with his lips, opening his mouth and allowing Haruka to move as he pleased—

until the distinct 'click' from a camera phone cut through the haze now clouding his thoughts. He pulled back, startled as he searched for who would have the gall to take a picture of them. He didn't have to look long.

"Haru, did _you_ just take a picture?" Makoto stated incredulously, staring at his boyfriend who was calmly pressing buttons on Makoto's phone. He nodded in satisfaction at the phone before holding it out to Makoto.

"I fixed it," he said by way to explanation, and Makoto took one look at his phone before he nearly dropped it, his face abruptly deciding it was time to impersonate a tomato. Haruka _had_ taken a picture during their kiss; over Makoto's shoulder and flushed profile, Haruka's piercing blue eyes were half-lidded as he stared straight at the camera in a way that left no doubt as to the message he was trying to convey: _Mine._

And he had made it Makoto's _phone background._

"Haru!" Makoto spluttered as he stared at his phone, "I can't leave this as my wallpaper—"

"Yes you can," Haruka replied simply, starting to stand up to go.

"B-But, what if someone _sees_—?" Makoto snapped his mouth shut as Haruka met his gaze, eyebrow raised as if to say _Are you trying to hide something?_ "That's not what I mean Haru," Makoto backpedaled, reading Haruka's unspoken question, "It's just…_embarrassing!_"

"Then don't show anyone," Haruka said in a tone that rang with finality. There was a moment of silence as the two started to walk together, and Makoto reluctantly put his phone away. Just when he thought the discussion was closed, Haruka spoke. "I really like that picture," he admitted quietly as they walked through the park, "You look beautiful. Sexy."

"O-oh?" Makoto said, pulling out his phone again to take another peek at the background. The only thing he could focus on was Haruka's eyes, melting him with their intensity and passion. _Damn._ Makoto swallowed. "I-I think the same about you Haru," he said, breaking eye contact with picture!Haruka to look at the real one. "You're perfect."

Haruka didn't reply with words, instead taking Makoto's hand as the two slowly made their way to Haruka's house. Makoto ensured that Haruka made it safely inside before he shifted awkwardly, lingering in the doorway.

"Well…I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he said, turning to go.

"Where are you going?" Haruka called after him, stopping him in his tracks, "Didn't you say you'd stay over?"

Makoto met his eyes, his own green ones tinged with uncertainty. "Do you really want me to?"

"Of course," Haruka said, abruptly reaching forward to take Makoto's hand again. "I suggested it, didn't I?"

Makoto's uncertainty faded into a tender smile as he allowed himself to be pulled into the house. "You're right."

Haruka offered him a small smile in return. "Come on."

-((One Week Later))-

Haruka rolled over in his lonely bed once again, letting out a long sigh in the darkness. It had been a glorious week. A wonderful, perfect, Kurakvo-free week full of peaceful nights snuggling and sharing late-night kisses with Makoto. The two had spent every night together in either his room or Makoto's…until tonight. Makoto had a late night meeting with some classmates for a group project, and because he didn't want to keep Haruka up he had sent him home to sleep instead. That had been four hours ago.

_So much for not keeping me up,_ Haruka lamented to himself as he stared at the ceiling. _Sleeping really is a lost cause without him. _Haruka rolled over again, looking towards the window as he marveled at how quickly Makoto had become indispensable to his sleeping habits. He supposed it was only natural really; it was Makoto after all. _I'm sure his meeting is long over by now; I wonder if he's still awake…maybe I could—_

_**BOOM.**_

"Goddammit," Haruka cursed as he heard the semi-nearby explosion, reluctantly pulling off the covers and standing up, reaching for his ever-present dolphin necklace. "And things had been so nice lately…"

Garbed as the Free Fighter, Haruka flew towards the source of the noise, unsurprised to see Kurakvo standing on his cloud, hovering over a flaming car with a devilish grin. "Yo," he said with a small wave, unflinching when a telephone pole fell behind him with a shower of sparks. "Long time no see."

"I knew this week was too good to be true," Haruka replied shortly before wasting no time in sending a burst watery needles at his nemesis. He was in no mood for Kurakvo's wit tonight. He expected him to dodge well clear of his attack, but Haruka was surprised to notice that Kurakvo's reactions had seemed to slow. He just barely dodged to the side of the sudden water attack.

_What's this?_ Haruka thought, brow furrowing slightly. _Is he…weaker?_ He stared at Kurakvo as the Master of Darkness looked down at him, seemingly unperturbed by his unusually lackluster performance.

"What, no warm welcome?" Kurakvo questioned; Haruka narrowed his eyes in reply, his whip lashing out with a watery crack. This Kurakvo dodged easily as usual. "All business today then?" he continued as Haruka raised himself to his level, "Alright; that's fine with _me!_" he exclaimed, and dark arrows shot out of his hands, aiming for Haruka's head. He dove backwards off of his watery platform, propelling himself forward in the air so that he was underneath Kurakvo. In the same instant, his whip sailed upwards, solidly wrapping around Kurakvo's ankle. Haruka pulled, and with a cry of surprise Kurakvo was flung downward, landing face first against a telephone pole. Haruka let go, and he started to fall further before catching himself with a cloud, lowering himself to the ground. Good humor gone, Kurakvo moved as fast as a shadow; one instant he was a hundred feet away, and the next he was in front of Haruka, a dark fist inches from his face. Haruka was able to dodge however, and he pivoted on his heel, using Kurakvo's forward momentum against him to slam him down into the pavement. He drove water into his back in a constant jet, forcing Kurakvo to stay pinned harshly in place. Haruka's heart rate quickened as he raised his whip for the finishing blow, doubling its width for maximum damage. _This is it—_

But Kurakvo managed to squirm out from under the water pressure, and he sprung to his feet, a dark sword in hand as he swung it at Haruka's neck. Haruka leapt back reflexively, assessing the situation from a distance. Even in the darkness Haruka could tell that Kurakvo clearly looked worse for wear, and his posture was crooked from the water pressure that had assailed his back. _He _is_ weaker!_ Haruka's eyes widened at the realization as he immediately deepened his stance, preparing for one of his most powerful attacks; his hands started to glow with a soft blue light. However, it appeared that Kurakvo had had the same realization as Haruka, and he snarled, taking to the sky.

_No!_ Haruka thought, going after him, _This is it; it _has_ to be—!_ But Kurakvo was too quick and in a few moments he had disappeared. Haruka remained there for a moment, catching his breath and collecting his thoughts. _Why was he so weak?_ Haruka wondered, _It's only been a week; is he really that out of practice?_ A new determination rose in Haruka as he turned to leave. _Whatever. Something's happened; who cares what it is. The next time I see him, he's done for. _Haruka just wanted this never ending cat-and-mouse game to be over. He wanted his bed. Most of all, he wanted Makoto. In his bed _with_ Makoto would be the best option. But tonight…Haruka flew towards home, his mind made up before he was even close. _I'm sure he's asleep by now, so it shouldn't be _too_ hard to explain how I snuck into his house in the middle of the night. _With that decided, he set his sights on Makoto's darkened window.

-((Rewind!))-

Kurakvo collapsed in the branches of the trees near his host's house, panting. _That was close,_ he thought, catching his breath, _too close. _His eyes narrowed as he stared down at his borrowed hands. _This is a problem…this brat's happiness is affecting my powers…his stupid boyfriend has upset the balance. _He moved reluctantly, crawling through the window and into the bed. _If I could just get his little blue-eyed idiot out of the way, I could be even stronger. _He let out a sigh, allowing himself to drift into the waiting darkness. _Stronger…_ He faded into the background as the window slowly re-opened, the Free Fighter crawling inside.

-((The Next Morning))-

Makoto fought against the pull of wakefulness, reluctant to awaken to the real world. He was having a wonderful dream. He was warm and safe, with the familiar weight of Haruka comfortably pressed into his chest as they snuggled in bed…but unfortunately this dream would end; he had reluctantly sent Haruka home last night, and he was alone—

Makoto abruptly awakened as he realized he _did _feel Haruka pressed tightly against his chest, his soft even breaths tickling him under his chin. Makoto tentatively ran his hands over Haruka's back, testing to see if he was truly real. _This can't be right,_ he thought, confused, _I swear he had gone home last night…_ Haruka stirred under Makoto's ministrations, slowly coming awake. He made a noise of contentment before pressing a kiss to Makoto's chin by way of a good morning.

"Not that I'm complaining," Makoto started, his voice still heavy with sleep, "but why are you here?"

"I couldn't sleep," Haruka replied, placing one last kiss on Makoto's neck before he started to pull back, "so I snuck over during the night; you don't mind do you?" he asked.

Makoto met his gaze, smiling sleepily. "Of course not Haru; I—why are you looking at me like that?" Makoto questioned suddenly; upon looking at Makoto, Haruka's blue eyes had abruptly sharpened in concern and worry.

"Makoto…" Haruka started, unwrapping a hand from Makoto's waist to brush it tenderly against his cheek. Makoto was surprised to find that the caress stung. He reached up, confused. Haruka caught his hand in his before he could inadvertently aggravate the damage. "You've got one hell of a black eye."

"What? How—?" Makoto sat up in confusion, intent on examining himself in the mirror. However, in the act of sitting up a bolt of pain shot through his lower back, and he winced, holding himself still.

"Makoto?" Haruka questioned in concern, but Makoto waved him off.

"It's nothing," he said offhandedly, but Haruka was clearly not convinced. Makoto slowly got out of bed to examine himself in the mirror. His arms were speckled with bruises, and a large purple bruise covered part of his face and eye. Not to mention his back hurt as if Ren and Ran had used him as a trampoline. "Wow…" was all he could say for a moment. Haruka stood as well, moving to stand beside him to examine his injuries.

"I must have…fell down the stairs or something last night when I was sleepwalking," Makoto said slowly, although it sounded as if he didn't truly believe it himself.

"You weren't moving when I got here," Haruka pointed out, gently taking Makoto's hand.

"Maybe it was before that?" Makoto suggested, turning to face Haruka. What else could have happened? Makoto had no idea, but he found himself unable to shake the sudden feeling of unease that was slowly creeping over him.

Haruka thought for a long moment. Did Makoto have that bruise when he arrived last night? He couldn't remember. "…I don't know," Haruka replied reluctantly, having nothing better to say about the situation.

Makoto brushed his free hand over his face again. "Well, I should at least get some ice on this to help the swelling go down," he said, pulling his hand out of Haruka's grip. "I'll…be right back."

Haruka frowned as Makoto left, sitting back down on the bed. There was something funny about this. _Is Makoto really sleepwalking?_ he speculated, _He never used to sleepwalk before, but Makoto did say it was a recent development…how recent I wonder? _If the timeline matched up with Kurakvo's appearance…

_Kurakvo _did_ disappear early yesterday,_ Haruka realized, a cold chill settling over him, _but I thought it was just because he didn't want me to kill him. What if it was to carry out a threat instead?_ He looked out the door into the hallway, distantly hearing Makoto moving around in the kitchen. _Kurakvo doesn't know who I am. He _couldn't _know…could he?_

-((To Be Continued!))-

Oh no! But yay fluff! :D _Please_ let me know what you thought!

Thanks for reading!

~freaky-hanyou


	7. Chapter Six

Shenangians guys. Shenanigans. :D

**The Free Fighter and the Evil Within**

_Chapter Six_

-((Saturday)))-

"_Take that, you blue-eyed brat!"_ Makoto heard himself say, watching as a wave of darkness flew towards a shimmering blue figure. He blinked and the figure was gone, but in the next instant he found himself off-balance, crashing towards the ground because of some unseen force. _Wait…I'm not on the ground—?_

But he caught himself somehow, suspended midair as he came to the realization that he was face-to-face with none other than the Free Fighter. _The Free Fighter! It's really you! _Makoto tried to say, but his body didn't appear to be listening to him.

"You're getting weaker, Orca Boy," Makoto heard, unable to do anything but stare into the Free Fighter's determined, steely blue eyes, "This time I have you." If Makoto was able to make sound, he would've gasped, eyes widening at the sight of a sudden wall of water barreling down at him, appearing form out of nowhere. Unable to dodge, he took the attack at full force, sprawling onto the ground with a hard _thud._

"_You think just that will work?"_ he heard himself taunt as he sat up halfway, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"No." Makoto was suddenly pressed back onto the pavement, a bare foot against his chest holding him solidly down. The Free Fighter raised a hand, palm pointing towards Makoto; it started to emit a blue light, as if he were charging…something.

Makoto's eyes widened as he stared at the hand. _Wait; there's been a mistake—!_ but he couldn't make a sound; he watched the light in the Free Fighter's hand grow brighter and brighter, powerless to defend himself…

The light seemed to reach critical mass as he heard himself cry out, a wave of darkness engulfing him—

"_No!"_ he exclaimed, and his eyes flew open, abruptly focusing on the quiet stillness of his bedroom. Makoto blinked slowly in confusion, taking in his surroundings as his arms subconsciously tightened around Haruka's still-sleeping form.

_A dream,_ he surmised, looking down at Haruka, _…a nightmare. I can't remember the last time I had one of those; not since Haru and I…_ Makoto frowned, concerned over his nightmare. _It was so vivid; I don't remember any of my nightmares ever being like _that_ before—_

A sudden _ping!_ from his cell phone pulled him out of his reverie. Not wanting the noise to wake Haruka, Makoto reluctantly let go with one hand, reaching for his cell phone. He was surprised to see that it was already almost noon. _Did we really sleep that much?_ Makoto thought, amazed. He never slept that late; the twins would usually wake him much earlier. He remembered Haruka sneaking in at some point during the night, but he wasn't sure when (even when Makoto sent him away for some reason or another, Haruka would always sneak back over at some strange hour of the early morning). _We must've been really tired, I guess. _He pressed the notification; it was a message from his favorite Free Fighter forum. Nightmare temporarily forgotten, he followed the link to the new update, excited to read about the Free Fighter's latest exploits. However, Makoto's frown returned as his eyes scanned the forum entry:

_The Free Fighter was the closest yet to defeating the Master of Darkness last night; he had him pinned, and was about to use a new attack (!) involving some kind of beam when Kurakvo broke free, escaping at the last moment. There was darkness _everywhere_ so I couldn't' really see what happened properly though -.- I don't know about you guys, but I _definitely_ want to see more of this beam! :D :D _

_Pinned to the ground…a beam?_ Flashes of Makoto's all-too-vivid nightmare replayed in the back of his mind as he reread the forum post. His nightmare sounded eerily similar to the events of the night before. _How could I have known what was going to happen?_ he wondered, disturbed. _I mean, to dream about the stories I've read already is one thing, but to dream about them _before_ I read them—_

"What's wrong?" A voice cut into his thoughts, and Makoto looked down to see a sleepy-eyed Haruka blinking up at him.

Makoto gave himself a mental shake. "Nothing," he said with a warm smile, and it was true. It was just a stupid nightmare; end of story. He tossed his phone back onto the nightstand. "Good morning, Haru-chan," he said as his free arm returned to Haruka's waist, "or should I say good afternoon? We slept quite a bit," he added with a chuckle.

Haruka seemed unperturbed by this information. "That just means we needed some extra sleep," he replied. He knew _he_ at least needed all the sleep he could get lately.

"Still, we should probably get up," Makoto pointed out, although he made no move to let Haruka go.

Haruka let his head fall back against Makoto's chest. "I'd rather just stay here," he countered, nuzzling his chest lightly.

Makoto blushed. "But it's Saturday! The weather's supposed to be nice today; staying here all day would be a waste—"

"Time spent with Makoto is never a waste," Haruka stated bluntly, and Makoto barely had time to let out an indelicate squawk before Haruka leaned up to seal his lips over his. His hands tightened at Haruka's hips as Haruka crawled up his body, settling himself more comfortably atop him, their lips moving languidly together. Makoto sighed happily into the kiss, allowing himself to relax as Haruka trailed a hand lovingly through his hair. _This is nice,_ he thought, a hand migrating to the small of Haruka's back as the kiss increased in intensity ever-so-slightly. _Maybe we _could—

"Nii-chan! Wake _up!_ Nii-chan!" A sudden pounding on the door caused the two to spring apart on reflex. Never had Makoto been more grateful for the lock on his door: his privilege as the oldest. He reluctantly disengaged himself from Haruka, stretching slightly before approaching the door.

"I'm surprised that they waited this long," Makoto said good-naturedly over his shoulder before opening the door, seamlessly shifting into 'big brother' mode as the twins jumped on him.

"It's time to get up, sleepyhead!" Ran chastised as she gave her big brother a good-morning hug.

"Yeah!" Ren agreed before running over to the bed and flopping down beside Haruka. "You just _had_ to be awake before we left!"

"Left?" Makoto echoed, carrying Ran to the bed and playfully dumping her beside Ren.

"Mom's taking us to the amusement park!" Ren explained, practically exploding with glee.

"We're having a special day with Mommy," Ran added solemnly, but she was unable to keep her face from splitting into an excited smile. "We're—"

"Ren, Ran, it's almost time to go!" Makoto's mother appeared in the doorway, a laughing smile gracing her features. "Good morning boys; you've certainly slept quite late today."

Something about the way his mother was looking at him made Makoto want to make excuses and blush profusely. Before he could open his mouth, however, Haruka spoke, climbing out of bed.

"That's my fault," he said calmly, "I came over late last night and Makoto didn't want to wake me up." Makoto nodded in agreement. It was true…mostly. Makoto had no idea why he was having this sudden urge to defend their actions, but his mother didn't seem to mind.

"It's alright," she said, "With all the schoolwork you two have been swamped with, you guys could use a break." She ushered the twins down the stairs. "Just try to get out of the house at least!" The boys sounded off an agreement as she started to follow after the twins.

"Oh, and Makoto?" she said, popping her head back around the doorway, "You've nothing to be embarrassed about."

Makoto blushed to the roots of his hair as his mother winked before taking her leave. Even after all this time, Makoto and Haruka had never _explicitly _come out and told his parents about the change in their relationship. However, Makoto knew that they weren't stupid. It had become sort of an unspoken understanding that they'd talk about it when Makoto was ready.

At least, it _had_ been unspoken. Well shit, now they were going to have to—

"Don't worry about it," Haruka said, taking his hand and putting a stop to his nervous train of thought before it had even fully formed, "It's not like this changes anything."

And just like that, Makoto felt better. _Leave it to Haru,_ he thought, letting out a small sigh as he placed a gentle kiss on Haruka's cheek. "You're right," he said, returning his focus to his boyfriend. "It's the weekend, and there are better things to do than worry." He tugged Haruka over to the window, opening the curtains and letting in the dazzling sunlight. "It really is a perfect day outside," Makoto commented, "How about we go to the beach?"

"The beach?" Haruka questioned in surprise, "But…you don't—"

"I know," Makoto said, "but _you_ like the beach. Love it actually. And _I_ love watching you swim."

Haruka's cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink as he wrestled with indecision. They really hadn't been to the beach in a very long time, but that was justly because Makoto was afraid of the ocean. But if Makoto really wanted to go…

"It'll be fun," Makoto insisted, green eyes mirroring both hope and excitement. "I promise I'll have fun even if I'm not swimming. I'll just enjoy the view," he added flirtatiously, his eyes trailing significantly down Haruka's chest.

Well. When Makoto put it _that_ way, how could he refuse?

-(To the Beach!))-

Makoto sat on a towel under their beach umbrella, openly staring at his boyfriend in the water nearby. He really was beautiful; there was no other word he could use to describe the graceful way in which Haruka moved in water. There was just something about such elegance and fluidity that seemed to right, so…_natural_. Makoto's eyes widened as Haruka surfaced, the cool and clinging rivulets of water trailing down his chest while he stood catching his breath. The sunlight glinted off his slick skin, highlighting every crevice and muscle of his chest and abdomen. Suddenly Makoto felt inexplicably hotter, and it wasn't from the sunlight. Before he'd even realized it, he had taken off his shirt and stood, heading for the water.

Instead of his usual nervousness, Makoto felt a pang of excitement as he approached Haruka and the ocean. _It's just water,_ he reasoned with himself (and not for the first time, either). _I swim in the pool all the time; why not the ocean?_ He stood on the edge of the tide for a moment, hesitating. He looked towards Haruka, who was bound to have noticed him by now. He had, Makoto could tell, but he was determinedly keeping his focus elsewhere, not wanting to influence Makoto's decision in any way. Feeling a sudden rush of affection and gratitude, Makoto made up his mind. He took a deep breath and stepped forward, his feet slipping into the warm, comforting tide of the ocean.

For an instant, nothing happened; Makoto didn't feel any different. Then all at once it felt as if he were caught in a storm, a wave of utter revulsion and hatred sweeping over him. It felt as if his skin was crawling; he couldn't take it. He stepped back hastily, removing himself from the water as if it were boiling. Haruka silently watched the entire exchange, taking note of Makoto's almost sickened expression before approaching him.

"Makoto?" he questioned, standing in front of him in the water.

Makoto gave himself a mental shake, ridding himself of the uncomfortable emotions that _still_ plagued him whenever he tried to go in the ocean. "I'm fine," he said reassuringly, and he meant it. "Wanna take a break?" He reached out, holding out a hand for Haruka to take. Haruka held onto him, allowing himself to be pulled out of the water towards their towel. He sat next to Makoto in the shade, drying off his face and hair with a towel.

Makoto frowned. "Haru…you should probably put some more sunscreen on; you were out there for a while." Haruka put down his towel and nodded, reaching for the bottle of sunscreen. Makoto watched him, idly wondering if he should put on some more sunscreen as well. Haruka finished his task, turning to set the bottle back next to the beach bag.

Noticing that Haruka still had some sunscreen on his cheek, Makoto chuckled. "Haru, come here; you missed a spot," he said, reaching to turn Haruka's cheek completely towards him. He held his chin with a hand, rubbing his thumb gently over the smudge of sunscreen that lingered on his cheek. Even after the sunscreen was long gone his hand stayed there, methodically rubbing the same spot. "I wish I could swim with you," he blurted out suddenly. "I mean, I know I can swim with you, we do it all the time; I just, I mean, I want to swim with you right _now_ and I don't know why but I just can't and it's really frustrating and _mmf!_"

Makoto found his lips suddenly too preoccupied to continue speaking as Haruka leaned forward, effectively clearing Makoto's mind of thought with his kiss. "It's okay if we can't swim together today," Haruka said evenly, pulling away for a brief moment. "We can do this instead." He kissed him again with more force, shifting onto his knees and framing Makoto's face with both hands as he scooted closer. Makoto groaned, and his hand fell from Haruka's face, clutching at Haruka's thigh as his tongue traced his bottom lip. Makoto's lips parted before he pulled away with a gasp, flushing.

"Haru!" Makoto scolded, scandalized, "W-We're—!" He squeaked as Haruka pushed at his chest, sending him sprawling backwards on the towel. "We're at the beach! People are _staring—!_"

"Let 'em look," Haruka said shortly, silencing him with a searing kiss, and Makoto's blush intensified to the point where it looked like he was the sunburnt one. For a moment he gave in; his fingers clutched at Haruka's slick shoulders as he leaned over him, distracting him with tantalizing kisses. Makoto could feel his reason slipping away as one of Haruka's hands slid down his cheek, trailing over his bare chest and lower to the waistband of his shorts—

"_Ice cream!_" Makoto exclaimed suddenly, pushing at Haruka's chest so he could sit up. "You must be really tired from swimming for so long; let's go get some ice cream!" Haruka sighed but allowed himself to be pulled off the towel and towards the food stalls. He couldn't see Makoto's face anymore, but he could see that even the tips of his ears were red. Haruka allowed himself an uncharacteristic smirk. They'd have to try that again sometime soon, in a place Makoto felt more comfortable…his bedroom perhaps…

-((A Few Days Later))-

Haruka looked at the clock on his living room wall. It read 10:29. _Finally,_ he thought, getting up from his seat on the floor in front of the table and heading for the door. Recently, Haruka had taken to being rather…_distracting_ when he and Makoto were studying together, so Makoto had temporarily sent him away tonight so the two could get some real work done. He was allowed to come back at 10:30. _And not a minute earlier, Haru!_

Haruka sighed as he turned away from his textbooks. He hadn't been able to get anything done for the past hour. Every equation and question had the unique ability to transform into Makoto, it seemed. _So much for being productive, _he thought ruefully as he walked the short distance to Makoto's house. Makoto's mother didn't even blink when she heard the front door slide open.

"He's upstairs, Haru," she said with a smile and a greeting. "Did you get any studying done?"

"…No," Haruka replied, figuring it was best to be honest. Mrs. Tachibana only laughed and shooed him up the stairs.

Haruka started talking as he pulled open the door. "I hope you got more done than I—" Haruka's mouth snapped shut mid-sentence as he entered the room.

Makoto was gone.

-((To Be Continued!))-

The perfect place to stop, I think ;) Reviews keep me motivated! Also, if I _do_ up the rating, nothing ::heybaby:: will happen until _after_ Makoto isn't possessed anymore because….because. ((if we can free Makoto from his possession of course XP))

Once again, please review!

Thank you for reading!

~freaky-hanyou


	8. Chapter Seven

GUYS. Hi. I'm sorry. I am so sorry you had to wait with such a cliffhanger. My main place of writing is at work (it's complicated lol) and for the past couple weeks I've actually had…well, work. . And _then_ I have had this ready to type for a couple days and I haven't been home and Gah.

I'll shut up. Except I will add _you guys are awesome._ I really really really loved your reviews, everyone. Thank you. :D :D :D It makes my day, truly.

Carrying on!

**The Free Fighter and the Evil Within**

_Chapter Seven_

"_All this for a stupid boy…imagine if it was someone you actually cared about."_

"…_imagine if it was someone you actually cared about."_

"—_someone you actually cared about—"_

Kurakvo's words repeated over and over in Haruka's head as he stared unseeingly into Makoto's empty bedroom. "Makoto?" he called out, half-expecting him to step out of the closet as if nothing was amiss. Nothing happened.

_Calm down,_ Haruka told himself, trying to keep his already rising panic and adrenaline at a manageable level. He looked back into the hallway; the bathroom door was open, so Makoto wasn't there. What concerned him the most was that Mrs. Tachibana had said that he was in his room. She always knew where her children were at all times, and for her to say that he was up here…

Haruka stepped fully into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. He sat down on the bed, his mind racing through scenarios, desperately trying to come up with another explanation for Makoto's absence other than what he feared. _Any_ other explanation would do.

_I could call him,_ Haruka realized, reaching for his pocket as if he had his cell phone on him. Of course, said technology was back at his house where it usually stayed. Haruka's eyes strayed to the window, an idea rapidly coming to mind.

_It'll be alright, _he reasoned as he stood, reaching for his necklace while heading to the window, _so long as Mrs. Tachibana doesn't come upstairs to check on us. _In another moment the Free Fighter had snuck out the window, stealthily flying over to his own house.

Using the last of his calm, he changed back before walking in through the front door, moving to the living room where his phone sat innocently on the table. He pressed the power button. Nothing happened. He pressed it harder, only for the same result. Nothing. Haruka threw it to the floor, frustrated. His parents had had their land line uninstalled a long time ago, so he had no other way to call Makoto. Unless…

Haruka threw open the door of his house, taking off at a run down the street.

-((Meanwhile))-

_Where's that blasted boyfriend of mine,_ Kurakvo thought as he sat high up in a tree, wracking his brain. His host's happy and healthy relationship with his boyfriend had greatly weakened his abilities, leaving him unable to stay conscious at all during the daytime. Consequently, he had no idea where Haruka lived. He hadn't cared enough to pay attention before they were dating, and now…

"God_dammit_," Kurakvo cursed, releasing his ire by slamming a fist into a nearby tree branch. The more he tried to remember, the more difficult it became. He just kept seeing a pair of big ocean blue eyes.

"Brat," he muttered, frustrated with himself. Here he was, barely able to wield his powers at all, and all he could think about was the boy. The stupid, irritating, quiet, thoughtful, endearing—

"Son of a bitch!" he cursed again; he summoned a large amount of darkness to his hands, forcing himself to focus and center his evil thoughts. This was happening more and more lately. His host's love for the boy was seeping into him little by little. That had to be it. He, the Master of Darkness and all things evil, could think of no other explanation as to why he thought so much about those blue eyes, or why that faint smile caused such a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach—

"Enough," he said to himself, abruptly ending yet another uncomfortable line of thought. He had spent _years_ slowly assimilating into this body, gradually regaining full use of his powers and step by step claiming it for his own. For him to lose all of that progress now…

It simply wouldn't happen. He'd find the stupid boy if he had to kill everyone in town—

He jumped slightly as he felt a sudden persistent vibration emanate from his back pocket. He reached back, pulling his host's cell phone out of his pocket. A bright '_Haru-chan_' gleamed cheerily at him from the ID screen. Kurakvo allowed himself a brief victorious smile.

"Perfect," he murmured to himself before clearing his throat and pressing the 'accept' button. "Hey," he said in what he hoped was a cheerful-sounding voice.

Haruka didn't appear to have heard him. "Makoto!" he said emphatically into the phone, "Makoto; are you alright!?"

Kurakvo did his best to only sound mildly confused. "I'm fine, Haru. Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? You're not home, that's what's wrong!" Kurakvo could practically taste Haruka's worry through the phone; it was pathetic. "Your mom said you were upstairs but when I went up there you were nowhere to be found—"

"Haru, calm down," Kurakvo said, perfectly affecting the gentle-yet-insistent tone he'd heard his host use too many times to count. "I'm fine," he improvised, "Nothing's wrong. I just stepped out for a second to get something from the convenience store…Mom must've forgot," he added ruefully.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment before Kurakvo heard Haruka heave a long sigh. "Jeez Makoto, you scared me. I thought something had happened; I ran all the way down to the payphone to call you and everything…"

_The payphone._ "I'm sorry Haru; I didn't mean to make you worry. I'll be home in a few minutes." Kurakvo might not remember where Haruka lived exactly, but he _did_ remember the location of the payphone near his host's house. His lips spread into a slow, malicious grin.

"I'll meet you there."

"Haru?" Kurakvo said, and the words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. "You sounded pretty upset…I really _am_ sorry." Kurakvo made a face. Where had _that_ come from?

There was a slight pause before he heard Haruka's reply. "It's okay," Haruka said, and Kurakvo could hear the tenderness in his words. "See you soon."

The line disconnected with a 'click,' and Kurakvo carefully pocketed the phone, a triumphant smile gracing his features. "Oh yes, _Haru-chan,_ I'll see you very soon."

-((Meanwhile))-

Haruka allowed himself to relax as he walked the short distance back to Makoto's house. _There was a simple explanation,_ he reassured himself calmly, _He's safe. Makoto's safe, and there's nothing to worry about—_

"You really should be more attentive when you're walking alone at night."

Haruka stiffened at the familiar voice; he turned quickly to face his nemesis, but instead turned to find a spray of dust and gravel that went straight into his eyes, blinding him. His hands automatically came up to ineffectively try to clear his vision. He gave up quickly however, reaching under his shirt instead. _Hurry…my necklace—!_

"I'm sorry it has to be this way," he heard Kurakvo say before a knee collided with Haruka's chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him sprawling to the ground. He caught himself on his hands and knees, panting. _Dammit, my necklace—_

But Kurakvo didn't give him a chance; he dragged him up by his hair, twisting an arm behind his back before pinning him against the side of a car. Haruka struggled, but he couldn't break free from Kurakvo's iron hold.

"As I was saying," Kurakvo continued in a murmur, bringing his lips to the shell of Haruka's ear. "This is in my best interest." Kurakvo nipped at his neck and he shuddered, refusing to give up without a fight. He wouldn't give in, even if Kurakvo knew who he was now; without him, the whole town would be destroyed, _Makoto_ would—

A cold chill settled over Haruka as he fully understood what was happening. Kurakvo knew his true identity and had come to kill him…but before he had said that it wouldn't be fun to simply kill _him…_unless…

"_Imagine if it was someone you actually cared about."_

Haruka kicked back with a burst of strength he didn't know he had. "What did you _do to him?_" he yelled in a panicked rage, wrestling and earning himself some momentary freedom.

Kurakvo had him pinned again in a moment though, slamming his head against the car window for good measure. "Woah, calm down. I can see that your imminent destruction has addled your wits, so let's just make this quick." Haruka's struggling stilled as he felt the sharp point of a dark knife press against his throat.

Ignoring the burning and stinging in his eyes, Haruka managed to crack one of them open. "Damn you," he cursed, staring Kurakvo down over his shoulder.

Kurakvo felt himself hesitate as he met that cold blue gaze, overwhelmed by a powerful urge to let him go and apologize profusely for what he'd done. His grip loosened for an instant before tightening even more than before, the tip of his blade drawing a faint trail of blood from Haruka's neck. Haruka's eye slid shut, trying his best to resist showing any signs of pain. "It's been a pleasure, Haru-chan," he said, and he brought the blade across his neck—

"_I thought I told you to stop calling me that."_

Kurakvo froze in place as a familiar scene flashed before his mind's eye, cutting through him cleaner than any knife ever could.

_Makoto made an apologetic face at Haruka across the living room table. "I just can't help it sometimes, Haru!" he exclaimed mournfully in reply, as if he couldn't understand why he called Haruka that himself._

"_Well, cut it out," Haruka said simply as if that ended the discussion._

"_But Haru," Makoto continued, his voice suddenly dropping an octave, "you don't understand." In the next instant, Makoto had moved to the other side of the table, pushing Haruka to the living room floor. He hovered over him, his green eyes sparkling with affection and lust. Makoto could feel the shudder that wracked Haruka's body as he brought his lips to Haruka's ear. "Sometimes I just can't help myself, __**Haru-chan**__."_

_Haruka inhaled sharply as Makoto ran his tongue over the shell of his ear. His cheeks flushed slightly. "Makoto…" Makoto pulled back enough so that he could meet Haruka's eyes; his own cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and desire. Haruka cleared his throat to prevent his voice from cracking embarrassingly. "I guess…it's okay if you call me that…sometimes," he trailed off, looking away._

_Makoto's face suddenly broke into a wide, silly smile. "Haru-chan is so cute!" He laughed happily as Haruka opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced as Makoto leaned down to give him a sloppy kiss._

Kurakvo jerked back to reality with a start. The knife fell from his shaking hand and Haruka took his chance, wrenching himself away from Kurakvo's hold. Kurakvo let him go, his hands falling limply to his sides. He watched numbly as Haruka faltered, dropping to his knees and trying to catch his breath. A slow realization came over him as he stood there, unmoving.

_I can't do it._

He couldn't give an exact reason why, but he simply couldn't murder his host's boyfriend. Not now. Not like this. He looked down, surprised to see that Haruka had passed out. He resisted the urge to pick him up and take him to safety, instead turning deftly away, heading for home. He tried to ignore the conflicting feelings of love and hatred swirling in his body, confusing him. He needed to figure this out.

He needed to kill his boyfriend. He just needed to figure out _how_.

-((Meanwhile))-

Haruka's eyes snapped open with a start before he shut them just as quickly against the burning sensation the action had caused. Had he passed out? He couldn't remember anything after Kurakvo had pressed the blade to his neck, ready to end it all—

_Kurakvo._

Haruka finally reached his necklace, turning into the Free Fighter in an instant. He forced his eyes open. It was eerily quiet, and Kurakvo was nowhere to be found. _Gone?_ Haruka scanned the surrounding area as best he could once again but found nothing. Kurakvo was gone.

Haruka sighed, taking a mental inventory of his injuries. His head was pounding, and he _really_ needed to wash out his eyes. Summoning a small amount of water to his hands to do just that, he continued to worry about Kurakvo's abrupt disappearance. _What was that about? Did he give up? He had me; I don't understand…why—?_ Finally able to see, he scanned himself properly for more injuries. He could see a number of dark bruises already forming, and he was sure there was some ghastly (but luckily not deep) gash on his neck. Makoto was going to be beside himself—

Haruka felt as if he was suddenly drenched in cold water as all of the pieces fell into place. _What if Kurakvo simply wasn't _ready_ to kill me yet? He never did answer my question…Oh god, Makoto—!_ Countless possibilities plagued him as he propelled himself back up the street, racing to Makoto's house. _Please, please, _please _be safe!_

-((~*~))-

"_Woah, calm down. I can see that your imminent destruction has addled your wits, so let's just make this quick."_ Makoto felt as if he was in a fog. _What…is that…Haru? Haru!_ His panic grew as he watched himself press Haruka more forcefully against a car, terror increasing exponentially as he produced a dark, very sharp-looking knife and pressed it to Haruka's neck.

"_Damn you,"_ Haruka spat, and Makoto froze for a moment in shock. He'd never seen such a high degree of hatred from Haruka directed at him before.

_Haru, I'm sorry!_ he tried to wail, but it was no use. _I don't know what I'm doing—!_ "_It's been a pleasure, Haru-chan," _he heard himself say, and he felt the panic building up in him reach a critical level.

_Haru! Haruka, __**NO!**_

"Makoto?" Makoto's eyes shot open. A worse-for-wear-looking Haruka loomed over him, worry and concern written all over his features. "Are you alright?"

"Haru? What…?" he sat up in bed, taking in his current, perfectly normal surroundings. _Another nightmare._ "Yeah, I just…had the weirdest dream…I—" Makoto's words were cut off as Haruka suddenly wrapped his arms around Makoto's neck, pulling him close.

"You're not hurt?" Haruka whispered, and Makoto was surprised to hear fear tingeing his words.

"I'm fine, Haru," Makoto replied reassuringly, still confused but wrapping his arms around Haruka's waist anyway. They stayed like that for a long moment as Haruka seemed to assure himself of Makoto's existence, nuzzling against his neck gently. Makoto held him tighter. He wasn't sure what was wrong with Haruka, but he knew that he wanted to fix it. Immediately.

"Thank god," Haruka whispered before he pulled away, sitting down on the edge of the bed. It was then that Makoto noticed how hurt Haruka was. He gasped, taking in his battered and beaten form.

"_Haruka,_ what—?"

"Makoto," Haruka said suddenly, cutting him off. His worried expression had melted away into one of determined resolve, his blue eyes reflecting his certainty. "There's something very important that we need to talk about."

Makoto felt a gradual sense of panic growing in his lower belly. Something was off; Haruka had never acted to…_volatile_ before—

"We can't see each other anymore."

-((To Be Continued!))-

Sooorryyyy I can't help it. We're at that part of the story, ladies and gentlemen. And it's going a bit slower than I would like, but with all the misunderstandings and points of views going on right now I really don't want to mess it up.

Also, I can personally attest to the fact that there are still payphones in Japan. Lol.

_Please_ review; it's what gives me will to write!

Thanks for reading!

~freaky-hanyou


	9. Chapter Eight

Alright I am officially sacrificing sleep to type this so I'll make this quick.

A. _Thank you for your reviews!_

B. I'm really laying it on thick this chapter ;) so enjoy heehee!

**The Free Fighter and the Evil Within**

_Chapter Eight_

Makoto stared at Haruka in shock as his words slowly sank in. He couldn't have heard correctly. "What…?"

"We can't see each other anymore," Haruka repeated, his face composed into an emotionless mask, "I'm sorry."

Makoto's brow furrowed in confusion. None of this was making any sense. "But you just…why—?"

"This is for the best…it's just not going to work out; it's better if you don't know any more than that," Haruka replied succinctly, getting off the bed with marked effort. "I'll go."

"Wait…" Makoto said, still feeling poleaxed, as he watched Haruka turn to go. As Haruka took a step away, a wide range of emotions suddenly hit Makoto all at once: fear, sadness, confusion. _Everything's moving too fast—!_ "_Wait!_" he said loudly before lunging forward and taking Haruka's hand, holding him there. "Haru, you can't—"

"Makoto, can't we just—"

"_No,_ Haruka!" Makoto yelled emphatically, scrambling out of bed and taking Haruka's other hand in his. When he saw how unsteady Haruka was on his feet he thought better of it however, forcing him to settle back on the bed. "No," he repeated vehemently in a calmer tone, "We can't, Haru. Not like this. Not with no explanation." His fervent tone suddenly disappeared, and Haruka could see the tears glistening behind Makoto's emerald gaze as his voice became unsteady with emotion. "Is it something I did?" he asked softly.

Haruka almost had to physically restrain himself from pulling Makoto into his arms. "No," he answered instead, pulling his hands away to clench them into fists. "You've done nothing wrong."

"Then, why—"

"I can't tell you." Makoto closed his eyes for a moment, trying not to let his confusion melt into anger. "I'd like an explanation, Haru," he said in what he hoped was a steady, neutral voice. "You…you still have feelings for me right?"

Haruka hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth. Makoto would know if he was lying anyways. "…Yes."

"Then…I don't understand."

"It's…kind of complicated," Haruka tried to hedge, not wanting to endanger Makoto any more than he already had.

Makoto tentatively reached for his hand again. "Well, maybe if you started from the beginning, I could—"

Haruka pulled his hand away. "I can't."

Makoto felt his calm demeanor crack a little. "But—"

"_I can't."_

"Haru—"

"_Dammit_, Makoto, I said I _can't!_" Haruka cursed, and Makoto recoiled as if he'd struck him, clearly hurt. Haruka swore again, confusedly running his hand through his hair as he tried to decide what to do. "I…I'm sorry, I mean, I—" he sighed again. "This is fucked." He stared down at the bedspread in frustration, completely at a loss. Why did Makoto have to be so insistent? He was in _danger_ because of him; it would be better if he just cut ties with Haruka entirely, at the very least until Kurakvo was defeated. He didn't want to entangle Makoto in this hazardous life he secretly led, although apparently it was too late not to involve him at all. But he could stop it right now. He wouldn't hurt Makoto. So, it just wasn't going to work, simple as that. Now, if only he could get Makoto to accept that as an explanation and just let him leave; he needed him to be _safe_—

Haruka flinched as Makoto tentatively cupped his cheek in his hand, pulling his chin up so their eyes met. "Haruka…" Makoto started, his green eyes sincere as well as full of concern and worry, "Just tell me." He brought his other hand up, framing Haruka's cheeks in his hands. "Please tell me." He took a shaky breath before leaning forward, gently brushing his lips against Haruka's. "Please."

Haruka looked once more into Makoto's pained expression before looking downwards. He could feel the tension and turmoil wracking Makoto's body through the tense grip of his fingertips. _Makoto…if only you knew… This is for your sake; I have to keep you safe. _Haruka looked back up at Makoto in that moment, struck by the look mirrored in his eyes: it was an expression both pleading and determined, simultaneously begging Haruka to tell him and yet promising he wasn't going to give up easily. Haruka bit his lip, torn. Makoto was in danger because of him; that was true. And if he told him why…

Well, he'd still be in danger anyway, wouldn't he? The Master of Darkness already knew who Haruka was; telling Makoto wouldn't change that. Things couldn't get worse for Makoto now, as long as he was with Haruka. The only way to truly protect him was to get Makoto away from him, and it appeared Makoto wasn't going to give up without a fight. Telling him _would_ bring Makoto closer to this world of monsters than he would like, but…maybe if he told Makoto the truth, he could convince him that they needed to be apart, that it was the surest way he'd be out of harm's way.

With that thought in mind, he took a deep breath, steeling himself. "I'm the Free Fighter," Haruka mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper.

"…What?" Makoto asked, brow furrowing slightly at Haruka's even-quieter-than-usual tone.

Haruka closed his eyes for a moment before trying again, speaking clearly. "I'm the Free Fighter," he said again, and Makoto's eyes widened, his hands falling from Haruka's face in surprise. Nervous, Haruka continued his explanation. "I'm the Free Fighter, and I think…the Master of Darkness knows who I am. He's hurting you because of me, and I can't put you in danger like that. I won't let that happen anymore."

Upon hearing Haruka's confession, a variety of questions flooded Makoto's mind at once; however, there was one that surged quickly to the front: "But how does breaking up fix that?"

Haruka tried his best to explain. "He's going after you because you're important to me, so if we stop seeing each other and he no longer thinks I care about you, he'll leave you alone. You'll be safe."

"Sure, I'll be safe…as well as completely and utterly miserable," Makoto added with a tinge of an edge to his voice. His saint-like patience could only handle so much stress, and tales of the Master of Darkness affecting his love life finally pushed him over his limit.

Haruka looked at him incredulously. "Makoto, you don't understand—"

"No, I _do_ understand!" Makoto said, abruptly pulling Haruka forward into his arms, holding him closely against his chest. "You're trying to protect me Haru; I understand that. But understand _this._ If being safe means not being by your side, then I never want to be safe again!" He buried his face against Haruka's neck, nuzzling his ear tenderly. "All I want is Haru," he whispered passionately, "Always."

Haruka wanted nothing more than to melt against Makoto, to give in and be comforted by his warm, protective embrace. However, he resisted the urge; he had to. "Idiot," he responded just as fiercely, pulling back enough so that he could look into Makoto's eyes. His blue eyes sparkled with emotion as he brought up a hand to brush Makoto's hair out of his face. "Don't you realize that it _has_ to be this way? If something happened to you…if something happened to you, I…I—" Makoto couldn't take seeing the overwhelming despair reflected in Haruka's eyes for an instant longer, and he leaned forward, frantically pressing his lips to his. He poured all of his devotion and fervor into the kiss, trying to assure Haruka without words that he recognized the danger; he just didn't give a damn.

He pulled back, his expression serious and intense. "I can't live without you, Haru."

"And I can't live without _you_, which is why—"

"Haruka." Makoto said sternly, in a tone that left no room for argument, "I don't care if the devil himself is after you; you're not getting rid of me that easily."

"But—"

Makoto put a finger to his lips. "And the Master of Darkness won't get rid of me that easily either. I'm here to stay, Haru-chan. With you."

Haruka felt his resolve finally crumble as Makoto gave him one of his soft smiles. "Makoto," he whispered, and Makoto closed the distance between them once again, sealing his lips over Haruka's. He fell back on the bed, settling Haruka on top of him as he pressed kiss after languid kiss to his lips. He gently ran his hands over Haruka's back, wanting to assure Haruka of his presence, of _him._ Haruka pulled back after a moment, smiling fondly down at Makoto.

"You're surprisingly stubborn; did you know that?"

Makoto was sure that the smile that graced his features in response looked really stupid, but he didn't care. "I hide it well." Makoto suddenly sobered, reaching up to brush a feather-light caress over a nasty bruise on Haruka's temple. "Haru…so this is from…"

"Fighting with Kurakvo," Haruka admitted, allowing Makoto to sit up and settling in his lap instead.

Makoto's eyes widened in realization as his hands automatically curled around Haruka's waist. "And you always knew about what happened with the Free Fighter before me because—"

"I did it myself," Haruka finished, watching the emotions play across Makoto's features with slight amusement. He knew that saying 'Makoto was the Free Fighter's number one fan' was an understatement, and for him to find out that he and Haruka were the same person—

Makoto must've had the same realization, because at that moment he suddenly flushed a deep red. "Oh god Haru…all those times I obsessed over the Free Fighter…and we've even _played_ Free Fighter with the twins!"

"My Kurakvo was spot-on, by the way," Haruka pointed out at the mention of that, and Makoto let out a bark of laughter.

"I believe you," he said wholeheartedly, and his hands tightened at Haruka's waist by an infinitesimal amount. "Wait a minute…" Makoto started, "You've always been jealous of the Free Fighter!" he exclaimed, "Haru…have you been jealous of _yourself?_"

Haruka flushed, tucking his head under Makoto's chin so that he wouldn't see. "…It's complicated."

Makoto let out a happy laugh before placing a sloppy kiss on Haruka's cheek. "Haru-chan is so cute!" Haruka let him laugh, his blush only intensifying. It died down after a moment though, and Makoto cleared his throat. "Ne, Haru…" he started, and Haruka pulled back enough to look at Makoto, surprised to see his blush had returned, spreading across his cheeks and nose. "Could I…could I see you as the Free Fighter? I-I know you're hurting right now, so it's okay if you say no; I'm not quite sure how it works…" he trailed off, embarrassed.

In response, Haruka placed a chaste kiss to Makoto's lips before disentangling himself from his lap. He stood next to the bed, reaching under his shirt for his ever-present dolphin necklace. Makoto watched in unbridled amazement as the water appeared out of nowhere, completely enveloping Haruka and transforming him into the Free Fighter. He reached out, tentatively running the overly-long, shimmery blue scarf through his fingertips. "Haru…I…_wow_…"

Haruka was glad his scarf covered most of his face; he could feel his blush burning even his ears from the way Makoto was staring at him with such unabashed admiration and wonder. He suddenly stood, using his grip on the scarf to pull Haruka close to him. He just barely brushed Haruka's temple with his lips before bringing them to his ear. "You're beautiful, Haru-chan," he whispered, and Haruka shivered in response, allowing himself to show off just a little bit. A few tendrils of water slid up his arm, pushing gently at Makoto's chest so that he sat back down on the bed. Makoto continued to stare as the water seemed to dance around Haruka's body, listening to his every command before disappearing entirely.

"I…I have so many questions," Makoto admitted shyly as the Free Fighter moved to sit next to him on the bed.

"I'd love to hear them," Haruka replied with a small smile, taking Makoto's hand. "Just as long as we get _some_ sleep."

-((Several, Several Hours Later))-

Somewhere, deep in the recesses of Makoto's subconscious, Kurakvo couldn't stop laughing. Here he had sat, barely conscious, fighting to stay awake while Makoto was, hoping against hope that whatever random reason Haruka had to break up with Makoto would work, when he'd heard the magic words that gave him the answer to all of his problems:

_His boyfriend was the Free Fighter._

He let out another bark of laughter; this new information made him feel positively gleeful. Everything suddenly made _sense._ Of _course_ he couldn't control Makoto when Haruka slept over; it wasn't their _love,_ it was the fact that he's his arch enemy! The irony was almost too much. Sure, Makoto's love and his own inexplicably bizarre attachment to Haruka was still causing the majority of his problems, but those issues could now easily be remedied. _Nothing_ was more powerful than his hatred for the Free Fighter. _Nothing._ Putting the two together simply meant that any of his lingering, confusing thoughts could easily be cast aside.

Kurakvo's laughter took on a maniacal edge; the excitement from this latest development left him feeling more powerful than he'd felt in weeks. He needed to take proper advantage of this. Nothing could stop him now. Although it was said that love could conquer all, it certainly couldn't hold a candle to the feelings of loathing he harbored for the Free Fighter.

Haruka was as good as dead.

-((To Be Continued!))-

Woo! A sortve…not as bad cliffhanger? :D I opted for speed instead of length for this chapter so it wouldn't end horribly, yay! Anyway, I had a bit of trouble with some spots in this chapter for some reason, so I would _really_ appreciate hearing how you felt about it! (and/or squeed about it, I squeed and I created it lol)

Thanks for reading! Please review!

~freaky-hanyou


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